7 Things You Didn’t Know About the Amish

The Amish population has doubled in the past two decades. Today there are more than 250,000 Amish in North America and their communities are typically found in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The Old Order Amish comprise the largest group of Amish, consisting of nearly 2,000 churches and 40 different subgroups. The Amish mostly speak Pennsylvania German, also known as Pennsylvania Dutch. The Amish pay all the taxes that other people do, but do not contribute to or accept Social Security or commercial insurance because they religiously oppose those services. They believe that the church should care for the community and give primary authority to the church.